Remember To Breathe
by Gryffindorgirl13
Summary: Hermione is depressed and Draco recognizes how she is feeling. A friendship is formed...and things change for the better. And for worse.
1. Default Chapter

Hermione Granger sat alone in her room, silent tears gracefully sliding down her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Leaning her ear closer to the door, she could hear her parents' distinct shouting from downstairs. Her father was drunk again. She didn't need this the week before she left for her final year at Hogwarts.  
  
"When will you stop bitching at me, woman?! I come home, and you're already bickering about something! What in the bloody hell do I have to do to get you to some making such accusations!"  
  
Hermione was used to him getting angry over little things, but this was the first time he'd been this angry with her mother.  
  
"Oh will you stop complaining, George! I did not intend for you to get angry! All I ask is for you to hinder yourself from getting drunk again! One day things will get out of hand!" her mother was not angry, as George Granger was---Hermione knew this from the way she spoke her words.  
  
Hermione slowly crept down the stairs, and peered into the kitchen. Her mother was preparing dinner, angrily chopping away at a head of lettuce. Her father was standing behind her mother, and his eyes were dancing with flames.  
  
"Please, lower your voice as not to wake up Hermione. I do not wish to argue, love. I did not intend to make you angry," her mother replied softly, in hopes of calming her enraged husband.  
  
Her father's features did not soften, but still his face was cold and angry. Hermione saw in his eyes a look of pure loathing.and it frightened her.  
  
"That freak is not my child," he replied coldly. "And you, my dear, are a whore."  
  
Hermione winced. The knife in her mother's hand fell to the ground.  
  
"Do not call her such names. I have raised her well, and.," her mother replied softly, "George, please, calm down, you're frightening me."  
  
"I'm frightening you, am I! Shut up, did you not her me the first time!"  
  
Her father's hand hit Anne Granger's porcelain face hard. When her mother looked up again, there were tears sliding down her cheeks.  
  
"I thought you loved me," Anne whispered.  
  
His face softened, and he lowered his head.  
  
"I don't," he shouted, "You're a whore, a WHORE!"  
  
She slapped him across the face, and left a red hand mark across his face. He touched his cheek lightly, and looked back at her, eyes full of rage. She instantly regretted it.  
  
"Don't you ever hit me!"  
  
He pushed her pushed her against the wall and began to beat her. Hermione watched all of this horrified. She had fully stepped out into the kitchen, to observe the scene. She saw her mother crying and begging him to stop, but he never did. And finally Hermione watched her mother fall to the ground, bloody and bruised. Hermione gasped, and he turned around to face her. She tried to run, but he quickly grabbed a hold of her arm.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," he said dangerously. "You bastard, what have you done to my mother?! I'll kill you I swear to God I'll kill you!" she began shouting. "You as-"  
  
He threw her against the wall and began to beat her. She tried to scream but she couldn't. All she could do was cry. She managed to crawl towards her mother, and he continued to hit her. Her mother's eyes were on her daughter, and before she passed out again, she whispered to her daughter 'I love you.' Hermione managed to choke out 'I love you too.' She grasped her mother's hand tightly, but was kicked away by her father. Then everything went black.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~  
  
Hermione arrived at the station, Crookshanks and her trunk in one hand, a book in the other. She walked along nonchalantly, trying to ignore the recent events, and concentrate on reviewing all of her summer work. She boarded the train almost immediately, and found an empty compartment. 'Harry and Ron will find me,' she thought to herself. She sat down and continued to read her book. But she just kept reading the same line continuously. She had a throbbing headache, and her bruises were painful every time she put any kind of pressure to them. She pulled out a small mirror and looked at her reflection. There was a small bur deep purple bruise on one of her eyes, and the remainders of the bruises were on her sides, arms, and legs. She sighed and attempted to hide the bruises with a few charms, but to no avail. 'I can't even perform a simple charm anymore,' she thought. The compartment door opened and she quickly hid her mirror away and covered her left eye with her hair.  
  
"Oi, 'Mione!" Ron greeted.  
  
"Hello Mione! We've been looking all over for you!" Harry smiled brightly at Hermione.  
  
She smiled sheepishly back. She had forgotten how much she needed them at a time like this. She intended to tell them, but the words could not escape her mouth.  
  
"I'm sorry you guys, it's just I.I wanted to find an empty compartment, so we all had somewhere to sit. And seeing as everyone is boarding the train now, I suppose I was right in thinking that you two would be late and needed a nearly empty compartment," Hermione said, proud of herself for not telling a complete lie.  
  
"Of course, Hermione, you're brilliant," Ron said, taking a seat across from Hermione.  
  
'Ron can be incredibly daft sometimes,' Hermione thought to herself. She stifled a snort, as Harry slid in the seat right beside her. 'Oh no, he's sitting beside me, what if he sees the bruise?!' Hermione panicked to herself.  
  
Harry eyed her skeptically and turned to Ron, "You wouldn't mind going and grabbing us a couple of Chocolate Frogs and a few bags of Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans, would you, mate?" He was smiling brightly at Ron, and handed him a few Galleons. Ron smiled back, and left them to buy the sweets. Harry's smile faded and he quickly turned to her, his face full of concern.  
  
"Hermione, what's wrong? I know you were lying. I get the feeling you didn't feel like being around us. What happened this summer, why didn't you respond to any of our letters." Harry continued to bombard her with questions. She looked up at him and her hair fell away from her face, and he could see the purple bruise on her left eye. He opened his mouth to ask her about it.  
  
"I.I fell, it's really nothing to worry about Harry." she lied.  
  
"You fell? Hermione you don't have to lie to me. What happened? Does Malfoy have anything to do with this?" Harry inquired.  
  
Just as Harry said the last sentence, the compartment door quietly opened to reveal none other than Draco Malfoy.  
  
"And why, Potty, would I have anything to do with the Mudblood's bruises?" Draco smirked. "Although I would be more than happy to have given her them, I might as well just tell you how she got them."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened and pleaded him to leave, but this only made him smirk more. Harry looked from one to the other, and he looked questioningly at Hermione.  
  
"Sod off, Malfoy. You know nothing of my situation," Hermione stated coldly.  
  
"You'd be surprised, Granger," Draco replied. He turned to leave, and came face to face with Ron Weasley. Draco smirked.  
  
"So the Weasel is just as poor as ever. I guess you're not only poor when it comes to finances, but as well as your friendship qualities," Draco glanced down at the sweets in Ron's hands, then back to his face. "While you were buying food, with Potty's money, the Mudblood is in here hiding her face with her hair, in an attempt to cover the bruises she earned this summer from her father."  
  
Ron dropped all of the sweets, not even bothering to respond to Malfoy, and turned to look at Hermione. Harry was equally stunned by Malfoy's remark. Hermione was glaring daggers at Malfoy's back, as he turned to retreat.  
  
Her eyes were downcast as her two best friends looked at her for an answer.  
  
"He's a liar, are you really going to believe him over me?" Hermione inquired.  
  
Ron studied her face and then turned to Harry, as if expecting him to explain.  
  
Harry hesitated, and then said quietly, "She fell, Ron. Malfoy is just being a prat."  
  
Ron looked relieved, as he retrieved the sweets from the ground, Hermione shot Harry a grateful look. The rest of the trip was spent in silence. 


	2. Back at Hogwarts

The Golden Trio was sitting at their house table, while the Sorting Ceremony was finishing up. With a respectable amount of new Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins, all of Hogwarts was buzzing with chatter. Ron and Harry were deep in discussion about Quidditch, and a few first years were in awe as they saw Harry Potter. Hermione snorted quietly. 'No matter what's happened, Harry still had hoards of admirers. Except for the Slytherins, especially Malfoy. I wonder how he knew how I got my bruises. I suppose he has experienced worse abuse.' Hermione was lost in thought, and quickly snapped out of it as the room quieted as Dumbledore rose for his welcomes.  
  
"Welcome, first-years," Dumbledore greeted "and welcome back, to old hands! This year, we have decided to do things differently"  
  
Hermione heard Ron groan, and she and Harry gave each other the same knowing look and tried to keep from laughing. 'Ron could never go a day without eating,' she thought, rolling her eyes at the annoyed look plastered on Ron's face.  
  
"Those of you who are wondering why there have been not been any Head badges sent out this summer, I will provide an answer. I will be announcing Heads today, as I know you are all anxious to know who your leaders will be," Dumbledore was beaming, and looked upon the faces of his students, "I apologize for the delay. The Head Girl this year is of the Gryffindor House, and I believe you all know her very well. Intelligent and a great leader, your Head Girl this year will be Hermione Granger."  
  
Everyone in the room broke out into cheers and applause, minus most of the Slytherins. Hermione smiled broadly as Harry and Ron enveloped her in bear hugs.  
  
Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again. The room once again silenced, anxious to hear who Head Boy was. "The Head Boy this year is of the Slytherin House. Well-respected as well as intelligent, your Head Boy for the year will be Draco Malfoy."  
  
The room was once again in cheers and applause. As Draco smirked proudly, all of the Gryffindors were giving Hermione sympathetic looks, and some were outraged. Harry shouted 'WHAT?!' but his shout was hardly heard due to the noise.  
  
"Now, Heads please rise and come to retrieve their badges," Dumbledore said, smiling. "And before I forget. Tuck in!"  
  
Food came out of nowhere, lining the tables with every food imaginable. The first-years were in awe again, and it was not only in amazement, but in repulse at how fast Ron ate his food. Hermione rose, as well as Draco and they made their way to the staff table. They somehow managed to stand next to each other, and Hermione refused to meet his eyes.  
  
"Well, Granger, it looks like we'll have to share a common room now," Draco said to Hermione, a smirk on his face.  
  
"Sod off Malfoy. And don't you try anything, or I will hex you into oblivion," she replied, glaring daggers at Malfoy.  
  
As they reached the staff table, Dumbledore greeted them, eyes twinkling. He handed them their badges with warm congratulations. "I will have Professor McGonagall guide you to your new dormitories and common room," Dumbledore said, " I trust you can cope with your new living arrangements?"  
  
"Yes, Headmaster," both replied in unison.  
  
"Good. I suggest you return to your seats to eat, as tomorrow you will be delivering timetables to your fellow students."  
  
They left their Headmaster without a quick 'Thanks' and sat down at their house tables. Hermione sat down in her usual seat between Ron and Harry. Harry immediately turned to her.  
  
"I'll be fine Harry," Hermione assured him, before he could even say a word. He smiled, and turned back to his conversation with Dean.  
  
'Why me?' Hermione asked herself.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*  
  
Professor McGonagall guided them to their new common room. The password was 'Ewigkeit.' Their Transfiguration bid them well, and left them to observe their new living quarters.  
  
Hermione was glued to the spot. She stared around in awe, as she observed the Slytherin and Gryffindor entwined colors that lit the common room up. Draco watched her eyes light up when she saw the common room. She immediately went for the bookcase and scanned the books, and eventually picked one up. She fell onto the couch with an embroidered Gryffindor emblem, and began to read. He watched this all with interest. He smirked. 'Maybe I should annoy her?' he thought. Without a second though, he walked towards his couch and loudly plopped himself onto it. She looked up annoyed and he smirked at her.  
  
"So, Granger. I take it you like this new common room?" he inquired, smirk still plastered on his face.  
  
Her eyes lit up, and she replied "It's lovely, I mean--"  
  
"I mean, of course you like it, you're sharing it with me," he replied matter-of-factly, "and you must be honored to--"  
  
"Malfoy, you are such a prat. I actually thought you were trying to be civil to me! I must be daft if I believed that."  
  
"Granger, stop with the drama," Draco started.  
  
"Look, Malfoy. I'm not in the mood to argue. Let's just look at the rest of our new quarters and get to bed," Hermione replied.  
  
Draco smirked. "Granger, I didn't think you were that kind of gir--"  
  
"You know I didn't mean it like that, you git," Hermione pushed him aside and walked towards the bathroom.  
  
Draco followed her towards the bathroom and they both stepped in and looked around in awe. He watched Hermione as she giggled gleefully as she looked through all of the soaps and fragrances. She turned two the bathtub and showers, and noticed that there were two separate doors, each leading to a different shower-room. She sighed with relief. She ran her fingers along the intricate gold and silver letters of her name. She smiled and looked around the room. The ceiling was shimmering with a faint gold glitter, and as she looked closer she realized it was a painting of faeries. She was in awe, and when she turned again, she noticed Malfoy staring at her. She caught herself staring back, and when he didn't notice this, she took this opportunity to look him over.  
  
'She's changed' he thought. Her once bushy hair now fell into soft, loose ringlets around her face. He noticed that when she smiled, her teeth were perfect. She had greatly matured over the past 7 years. She had curves in all the right places. Draco took a good look of her and thought to himself 'She's beautiful.'  
  
Hermione looked Draco Malfoy over. His usually slicked back hair fell into his eyes. The white-blond of his hair went well with the silver of his eyes. She noticed his perfectly toned abs and arms were visible though his robes, and looking over him once again, she realized he was genuinely flawless in his appearance.  
  
Their eyes met, and his usually icy stare was warm and intriguing. She blushed.  
  
"Like what you see?" he raised an eyebrow inquisitively.  
  
"For your information you were staring at me," Hermione replied.  
  
"Yes, but you stared back," Draco said.  
  
Hermione blushed again. "It's getting late, Malfoy, and we need to be up earlier than everyone else." They walked together out of the bathroom into the common room.  
  
"I know as well as you do that you probably won't get any sleep anyway. Those bruises will keep you up."  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Like I said before, Granger. I know a lot more than you think you do."  
  
"You know nothing of my life. You know nothing of what I've been through."  
  
"Look, you're not the only one who has problems," Draco said, attempting to be calm.  
  
"Well you sure as bloody hell don't have any! You're rich, respected, and handsome, with a powerful family! I don't even have a family anymore! I'm not rich, I'm not respected, and I'm not even attractive! You know nothing of how I feel." Tears were flowing freely down her face.  
  
"I know exactly how you feel! You think my life is perfect? Have you forgotten my father is a Death-Eater? Did you know my mother is under the Imperius? I am expected to live up to my father's wishes, you think I want to go through with them? I DON'T HERMIONE! I have no respect from anyone, it's all just fear. You say I know nothing of how you feel? I live everyday feeling alone in the world, and you have only just begin to feel the pain of loneliness."  
  
Draco managed to keep his face emotionless. Hermione was crying silent tears, and they were pouring down her face like crazy. She fell into his arms, crying into his shoulder, whispering 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' repeatedly. Before he could control his instincts, his arms were around her, and his face was buried in her hair, whispering comforting words into her ear.  
  
He took in her scent.she smelled of peaches and spice. Never in his life did he think he would be in the arms of Hermione Granger, the know-it-all, mudblood Gryffindor, whispering comforting words in her ear. Hermione looked up at him, and the tears that were once flowing freely came to a stop. Their eyes met again, and he smiled at her. Hermione's heart stopped- Draco Malfoy just smiled at her. She smiled right back.  
  
"That was.." Draco started.  
  
"Unexpected?" Hermione finished.  
  
"Yea.does this mean we're."  
  
"Friends?" she smiled, "I hope so."  
  
He smiled back. "Who would ever have thought, the know-it-all Gryffindor and the spoiled Slytherin, friends?"  
  
She pushed him playfully, "What will everyone say? What will Ron and Harry say?"  
  
"Potty and Weasel will never have to know," Draco smirked.  
  
Hermione smiled sinisterly. "Agreed. Insults whenever others around, so they won't suspect anything. I think we should get some sleep. It's nearly midnight, and our first day is tomorrow."  
  
Hermione turned to go to her room, but Draco lightly grabbed her arm. She turned to him, with a questioning look. He pulled her towards him and put his arms around her waist. Their faces were centimeters apart, and he leaned in and kissed her lightly. When they parted, he whispered in her ear.  
  
"Remember to breathe, Hermione."  
  
He turned around and opened the door to his dormitory, smiling. He closed the door behind him, and Hermione stared at the door as it closed. A silly grin was plastered on her face, and she subconsciously touched her lips. 'Conceited prat,' she thought to herself, smiling as she collapsed under the covers. A smile still on her face, she fell asleep.  
  
A/N: Okay I know so far that it isn't as interesting as it should be. This is my first so give me a break here. Someone please let me know how I'm doing so far so I know whether or not to continue this story. 


	3. A Fight With Ron

Hermione awoke with a smile on her face. The clock read 5:30. She rose out of bed, looking around her Gryffindor clad room. Red and Gold was covering the walls, and her bed was king size, embroidered with the Gryffindor crest. The canopy was a sheer gold, and a beautiful golden chandelier hung from the ceiling. She loved the solitude. She opened the door quietly as to not wake Draco. 'Draco.' she thought, 'I kissed Draco Malfoy.' She had forgotten all of her problems when she was with him. No one could make her feel the way he did. Not even Harry or Ron. She walked into the bathroom, and stopped dead at the door. Draco was in nothing but a towel. Hermione was blushing furiously.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't think."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Granger," he smirked.  
  
'Granger? Didn't he just call me Hermione last night?' Hermione's mind was racing. Draco noticed her confusion, and quickly attempted to cover his mistake.  
  
"I still haven't gotten used to calling you by your first name."  
  
"It's fine Mal-Draco," Hermione laughed lightly, "I see what you mean. I guess it's a bit hard to when you've been enemies with someone your entire life."  
  
"I thought I was the only one who woke up this early?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Apparently not. I've always woken up early. I always want to have an early start on my studies."  
  
"Know-it-all," he mumbled, loudly enough so she could hear. She punched him playfully.  
  
"Well I'm going to get ready, meet me in the common room in 30?"  
  
Draco nodded, and left to his dormitory. Hermione quickly shed her pajamas and jumped into the shower. As the hot water poured over her, her mind turned from Draco to the summer events. Almost instantly, the feelings of remorse overtook her. She thought about it all-her mother's heartbreak, her parents' words to each other, her father's expression. She turned off the water and brushed her teeth. She pulled on her pajamas and walked back into her room. She pulled out her black school robes and put them on slowly. Looking into the mirror, she performed a drying spell on it. She began to run a brush through it, and it curled into soft ringlets. Angry tears were rolling down her cheeks. She punched the mirror, causing a loud crash, and her knees went out. She willingly fell to the ground. Draco burst through the door, almost immediately. He looked at Hermione's hand, then to the mirror, and ran to her side. Her face was tear-streaked but there was no more tears coming from her eyes. He pulled out his wand and muttered a 'Reparo' at the mirror and then focused his attention on her hand. After a few spells, her hand was normal, but she still felt the pain. Neither said a word, but sat there in a comfortable silence.  
  
"Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't he have just left, if he didn't care he didn't have to stay there and cause up more pain. I'm afraid for my mother. I'm afraid he'll do something drastic," Hermione said softly.  
  
"She'll be okay, Hermione. Things will get better," Draco tried to comfort her.  
  
"No, Draco. It won't be okay. I can feel it."  
  
She looked up at Draco and their eyes met. They rose from the ground and each grabbed their bags. On the common room table sat a bundle of papers, which they assumed to be the timetables. They each picked up half and carefully put them into their bags. They were silent the entire way toward the Great Hall  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*  
  
A week had passed since the Draco and Hermione had their silent understanding. Since then they had grown much closer, and awoke to the same routine: an early start, talking, and then leaving to the Great Hall. The morning and secret meetings were all they had, with their patrolling duties and all of their friends constantly in their common room after classes.  
  
Hermione awoke again with a smile on her face, and went through her regimen. She showered, brushed her teeth, dressed, finished her hair, and talked to Draco. Once they reached the Great Hall, they'd go their separate ways. Preparing to cover her lament. She opened the doors of the Great Hall. She scanned the crowd of Gryffindors for her two best friends, and found them sitting in deep discussion. She walked toward them, a smile playing on her lips. They saw her approaching, and she noted that they immediately hushed their conversation. She decided not to comment, and sat in her usual seat between the two.  
  
"Morning Mione," Ron and Harry said in unison.  
  
"Morning. Sleep well?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ron shifted nervously, while Harry looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh. Hermione was amused, and decided to push the subject a bit further.  
  
"Pleasant dreams, I hope?" she asked.  
  
Harry put his knuckles in his mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing. Ron looked incredibly uncomfortable. Hermione looked at Harry, and his eyes begged her to continue with her questioning. She smiled.  
  
"So what have you been dreaming about?"  
  
"BLOODY HELL DOES IT MATTER WHAT I DREAM ABOUT?! SO WHAT IF I HAD A DREAM ABOUT SNAPE!!" Ron shouted, immediately regretting it.  
  
The Great Hall was silent, and then everyone burst out laughing. Hermione and Harry were grasping onto each other for support. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, and most of the teachers were trying to hold back their giggles. Snape was furious and blushing red. Ron was also incredibly red, which only made people laugh harder, as his face matched his hair. Hermione noticed Ron stopped eating.  
  
"Ron, don't worry about it. It will pass over," Hermione said, still laughing a bit, and put her hand on his shoulder.  
  
He immediately shook it off. "No, Hermione, it won't just pass over. And it's entirely your fault. If you hadn't pushed me to say it, then I wouldn't have to worry about all of these insults that will be thrown at me now. Not to mention in addition to all the rest of the insults I already get."  
  
"Ron, I didn't think-"  
  
"That's it Hermione, you didn't think! For someone as intelligent as you, you'd think you'd know when to give it a rest, and not be so stupid as to push me that far!"  
  
The Great Hall was silent, and all eyes were on the two Gryffindors.  
  
"Ron, why won't you just listen-"  
  
"BECAUSE I DON'T CARE!"  
  
Hermione slapped him. Hard. "You listen to me, Ronald Weasley. I do not deserve to be treated like this by you. If you want to jeopardize this friendship over something as little as a dream, then let's jeopardize it. For now, I don't even want to look at you. I don't deserve to be treated like I'm not good enough, especially not from you."  
  
Hermione turned around and walked away.  
  
Ron looked up at her again, with angry eyes. "You don't deserve respect, especially not from someone like me. You aren't good enough Hermione. You are never going to be good enough. I never thought I'd say this, but I know I mean it. You are a filthy mudblood."  
  
Hermione stopped in her tracks and winced. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.  
  
"How dare you. How dare you ever call me your friend. You know what? I do deserve respect, I know I am better than you. I am a better friend than you. I must be daft to even think you cared." Hermione whispered, barely audible.  
  
She looked up to find all eyes upon her. She met a pair of silver eyes. She looked back at Ron and smiled sadly.  
  
"But I know someone cares about me," she whispered.  
  
She turned around and left the Great Hall, tears pouring out of her eyes. She found herself leaning against the wall for support, and then sliding down in sobs. She heard the doors open, and saw a group of people walking toward her. It was Harry, Ginny, Lavender, Padma, Parvati, and Neville. They enveloped her in hugs, and she eventually convinced them to leave her be, and that she needed to be alone. They left he to go back to breakfast hesitantly, and continually asked her if she would go back, and she refused. She back down, and was feeling significantly better. She heard the doors close, and she heard the faint echo of chatter in the Great Hall again. Again, the doors opened, and instinctively, Hermione said 'I'm fine you guys, really.'  
  
"Are you sure, Granger?" a voice asked.  
  
She looked up and saw Draco. She smiled and stood up. He enveloped her in a hug.  
  
"Now I am," she whispered into his ear.  
  
He smiled. "Meet me at 10 tonight at the lake," he whispered back, "it's important."  
  
"It's a promise," she whispered, smiling.  
  
They parted as they heard the chatter growing louder. Neither had noticed a pair of emerald green eyes watching them. 


	4. Potions And A Talk With Harry

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!  
  
Whispers in a Mountain Cave and jtangel - I love the constructive criticism. Please keep it coming!  
  
Everyone: Ron is a little OoC.and the reason is I really don't like him. =D  
  
I LOVE THE CRITICISM! I really need it so if there's any holes in the plot that you find, please let me know and I'll do my best to make the story better!  
  
Queen of the Harpies- LOL I know I thought the freak/whore thing was hilarious too!  
  
Neveada- DUDE did you know I've been reading your story 'Heart of a Lion, Skin of a Snake.' I'm always too lazy to review but I absolutely love your story!  
  
And is Ron gay? Hmm..all we can do is wait and see mwahahaha :)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Hermione and Ron avoided each other at all costs. Hermione groaned. Her first class of the day was Double Potions wit the Slytherins.and Ron. Taking a look at her normal seat, she noticed Harry was talking to Ron. Hermione fumed. 'How could he still talk to Ron after what happened this morning?!' She saw them turn around, and Ron shot her an apologetic look. Hermione ignored him and sat alone in the back.  
  
'How did you I end up being friends with Ron? He called me a mudblood!' Hermione thought.'Draco called me a mudblood. He called me a mudblood for years, and I forgave him. Ron deserves to be forgiven, he was just angry. He was just taking the mickey.  
  
(A/N: I don't know if I used 'taking the mickey' right)  
  
'Draco was your enemy, but he cares about you now. He's more similar to you than Ron is. Ron was your friend for all the years Draco was your enemy, and now they've completely switched roles.'  
  
Hermione turned to look at Draco, and saw that he had been staring at her. She had butterflies in her stomach, and she quickly looked away and blushed. ' I can not like Draco Malfoy,' she told herself. She then looked towards Ron, who was staring at her, and watched her exchange with Malfoy in anger.  
  
The dungeon doors closed, and Severus Snape entered the classroom, robes billowing behind him. The class immediately fell silent. He tapped his wand on the board and the chalk immediately began to write down the ingredients and instructions in neat, pointy handwriting.  
  
"Today, we will be working on truth potions. It is very easy to make an error while brewing, so I suggest you double-check the amounts of each ingredient carefully," he looked pointedly at Neville. "You will be working in pairs today," he paused for effect, "But I will be choosing your pairs." He smirked. The students groaned. "5 points from Gryffindor for lack of cooperation."  
  
"Potter and Crabbe. Granger and Parkinson. Malfoy and.Weasley," he smirked, along with Malfoy, before continuing. "Longbottom and."  
  
Hermione watched Ron's facial expression with amusement. She rose from her seat abruptly and sat down between Pansy and Draco. She met Draco's eyes, and they snickered as Ron walked over toward Malfoy. She watched as Malfoy scooted over a seat, so Ron could sit next to her. Hermione pointedly ignored Ron, and cursed Draco under her breathe for moving aside. She turned toward Pansy, who was deep in conversation with a Slytherin Hermione was unfamiliar with.  
  
"I'll get the ingredients, no need to get up," Hermione said politely.  
  
Pansy nodded, and turned back to her friend. As she rose and began walking to the ingredient cupboard, she heard Ron say 'Sod off, Malfoy,' and then Draco responds with 'Whatever, Weasel. Go fetch the ingredients' She turned around and Draco smirked at her, and Hermione (very uncharacteristically) smirked back. Ron saw this exchange, and Hermione could tell he was angry. As she reached the cupboard, she pulled out the ingredients, and mentally checked them off. 'Mandrake root, dragon scale, arachnid venom.' Hermione thought, 'This must be a pretty powerful truth potion, aside from Veritaserum.' Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite cough. She turned and saw Ron standing beside her.  
  
"Look, I'm really sorry," Ron started.  
  
"Oh. Has pureblood Weasley come to make amends with the lowly mudblood?" Hermione said icily.  
  
"It's not like that, Hermione-" he began.  
  
"Only my friends can call me Hermione."  
  
She turned on heel with the needed ingredients and left Ron standing there in guilt and anger. Snape and Malfoy watched the scene with amusement, while Harry was both surprised and appalled by Hermione's actions. Ron followed Hermione to her seat and she ignored him.  
  
Hermione turned to Pansy and manage to convince her to help her work on the potion. Ron kept staring at Hermione, and every now and then Snape would say 'Weasley, 5 points from Gryffindor for lack of participation.' Hermione and Pansy would talk lightly, and, much to the surprise of both, were able to complete the potion problem free.  
  
"I need to talk to you," Ron pleaded. "why won't you talk to me?"  
  
Hermione ignored Ron's pleading and began transferring the potion into the flask.  
  
"Please, just talk to me!" Ron whispered urgently.  
  
"Why talk to you when I have nothing important to say? Aren't I just a dirty, filthy, worthless, mudblood? Nothing I have to say is good enough for you, am I correct?" Hermione replied icily.  
  
"I didn't mean that, you know I didn't mean that Mione-"  
  
"That's rubbish, Ron! You even said so yourself! If you didn't mean it then why did you say it?!"  
  
All eyes were on them, and neither took any notice.  
  
"I wasn't thinking, I didn't think-"  
  
"That's just it, Ron! You didn't think did you? You didn't think that your statement would offend me, because I used to consider you a friend? Well it offended me, Ron! And it hurts to know that you even thought that way about me. It hurts to know that after 7 years of friendship, you can just humiliate me in front of the entire school over a pathetic little dream."  
  
"I SAID I'M SORRY, MIONE! ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?!"  
  
"NO, RON! It isn't enough."  
  
At this point, both Hermione and Ron were red in the face from yelling. Hermione picked up all of her things, grabbed the flask, shoved it into the hands of Snape, and left. The room was silent.  
  
"20 points from Gryffindor, Weasley, for disrupting my class," Snape said quietly. "The next time we meet, we will be testing our truth potions. Potter, inform Miss Granger that she has detention with me at 8 o'clock tomorrow for leaving my class during a lesson and of what will happen in our next class."  
  
Harry opened his mouth to protest Hermione's detention, but thought better of it and simply nodded.  
  
The class ended, and the students left the classroom in a hurry. Hermione was waiting outside, and as Ron walked out, he tried to talk to Hermione, who ignored him. Harry walked toward her, and was about to inform her of what Professor Snape said, but she already knew.  
  
"Detention tomorrow at 8, testing truth potions next lesson. I heard," Hermione half-smiled at Harry.  
  
He nodded in response and gave her a half-smile in response. He walked with Ron to Divination. Before Ron rounded the corner, he turned around for one last glance at Hermione, only to see Hermione and Draco whispering quietly to each other.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron and Harry walked slowly to Divination, the tension between them building up.  
  
"Why'd you say it, mate?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
Ron stopped, as well as Harry. The eyes of Ron were unreadable.  
  
"I don't know, Harry. It just came out. At the time, I thought it was the right thing to say. But now I regret it. I don't know what to say to her that will make up for it. Talk to her for me Harry?"  
  
"Sorry, Ron. I can't help you out of this one. This is one mess you need to clean up yourself."  
  
Harry turned and began to walk away, leaving Ron standing in the same place, thinking. Harry turned around.  
  
"You coming, Ron?"  
  
"Yea," Ron said quietly, and with one last glance behind him, walked toward his best friend.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~  
  
The rest of the day passed by uneventful. Hermione did her best to avoid Ron, and at lunch sat on the other side of Harry and next to Ginny. After classes, Hermione was becoming incredibly anxious. She walked to she and Draco's common room, and to her surprise saw no one there. Deciding to savor this, she grabbed a book off the shelf and began to read. Again she found she could not concentrate. All she could think about was the meeting with Draco. 'I wonder what's so important?' she thought. Interrupting her thoughts, and her reading, was the distinct shouting outside the common room. She rose out of her couch and opened the portrait hole, and found Ron and Draco in a very heated argument. Pansy glued on to his arm, and Crabe and Goyle were behind him loyally. Hermione felt a twinge of jealousy, but it faded when she saw Draco push her off. Ron was standing alone.  
  
"Weasel, I don't know what your problem is," Draco said calmly, a smirk plastered on his face.  
  
"You're my problem Malfoy! You're the reason Hermione isn't talking to me aren't you? You've.you've don't something to her, so she'll talk to you!" Ron shouted, red in the face.  
  
Hermione stepped out of the portrait hole and remained out of view.  
  
"Are you mad, Weasel? I have nothing to do with Hermione's behavior!" Draco shouted in return, "Are you forgetting that you called her mudblood, Weasel?"  
  
Hermione smiled, and luckily no one noticed Draco had just said her first name aloud.except for Ron. Ron's fist hit Draco square in the jaw.  
  
"I said it because I was angry!" Ron argued.  
  
Draco prevented his friends from taking any action. Draco touched his lip, and looked at his fingers, which now held blood. He turned and looked directly at Hermione.  
  
"Yea? At least I didn't mean it," and on that note, Draco turned to the portrait hole with his posse, mumbled the password, and entered the common room. Ron was left muddled by Draco's words, and turned around to head toward the common room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Hermione needed to talk to someone. She realized Harry was her only hope. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, ad she realized she'd have to tell Harry everything. She walked to the Gryffindor common room briskly, and was surprised to find it almost empty on a Friday evening. She was even more surprised to see that the only one person remained, and to her luck it was Harry. Harry saw her entering and smiled warmly at her.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd come," Harry said.  
  
Hermione returned the smile. She sat down beside Harry, and looked at her watch. 7:30. Just enough time to tell Harry everything.  
  
"I'll start from beginning." Hermione started.  
  
"I'm all ears, Mione,"  
  
And so Hermione told Harry everything.from the incident at home to the kiss with Draco Malfoy. She was unaware of the tears rolling down her cheeks, and Harry put his arm awkwardly around her shoulders.  
  
"Harry, I don't know how I'm feeling. Every time I'm with Draco I forget all my problems.and Ron isn't making any things better by the display today. I don't understand how he could treat me like that in the morning and expect me to forgive him in the same day," Hermione wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her robe.  
  
"Mione, are you forgetting that you became friends with our enemy of 7 years?" Harry said calmly.  
  
Hermione pondered this for a minute. "But you see Harry, Draco is different. He knows what I've been through, he feels what I'm feeling. Draco may have been my enemy but lately he's been more of a friend than Ron has," she responded, "after Ron said those.those things today, Draco was there to comfort me."  
  
Harry chuckled lightly. "I know, I saw."  
  
"You saw?! Harry!" Hermione sighed. "So I guess you know I'm meeting him in secret as well then?"  
  
"Yep. I'm sorry Mione, I couldn't help but stay behind," Harry looked at the clock, "and you better hurry, because it's a quarter past nine."  
  
"Oh no! I haven't even started my homework, or began to get ready! Do I look okay Harry?!" she said.  
  
"Hermione, you look fine. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were beginning to fancy Malfoy," Harry said with a grin.  
  
Hermione blushed, and hoped Harry didn't notice. "Don't be silly, Harry."  
  
Hermione got up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her robes. Before she left the room, she turned to Harry.  
  
"Thanks for everything, Harry. I don't know what I'd do without you," Hermione smiled at him.  
  
Hermione left him alone in the common room. Ron came out from the shadows, and Harry felt the guilt of what he had just done sweep over him.  
  
"Get the invisibility cloak, Harry. Something needs to be done about them."  
  
Harry reluctantly rose from his seat to the boy's dormitories to fetch his cloak. A million possibilities of the consequences of their actions ran through his head. 'What have I done?!' 


	5. The Meeting, Forgiveness, Discovery and ...

Hermione looked at her reflection one last time before she left to meet Draco. 'Okay, Hermione, you can do this,' she told her reflection. She made sure her robes were perfect and opened the door to the portrait hole.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Draco Malfoy waited by the lake patiently. He checked his watch and looked back up to the doors of Hogwarts. He hoped she hadn't gotten in any trouble with Filch. He looked at his watch again, and it read 10:00. 'Calm down, Draco, it's just Hermione,' he said to himself. His stomach was in knots and he didn't know why. He looked towards the doors of the Entrance Hall, and there she was. She looked directly at him, and smiled. His heart skipped a beat. 'What's wrong with me?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, mate?" Harry asked Ron, "Even after all that's happened to her, and with her parents?"  
  
Ron looked toward his friend. "Yes, Harry. I'm sure. Hermione deserves better than him, and I think we should at least try to do something about it."  
  
Harry sighed and draped the invisibility cloak over himself and his friend, and they slowly made their way to the lake.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Hermione opened the doors, and a rush of cold air hit her face. She began walking slowly toward the lake, staring at her feet. She looked up, and there he was. She smiled, and he smiled back. Her heart skipped a beat. 'What's wrong with me?'  
  
It seemed like centuries had passed before she finally arrived beside him at the lake. They smiled, and sat down beside each other. An awkward silence passed, and then someone spoke up.  
  
"I was afraid Filch had caught you or something," Draco said quietly.  
  
"I'm Head Girl, it's my duty to be out after hours," she replied.  
  
"It's my duty too. But it's not our duty to be out after hours to have secret rendezvous at the lake," he grinned at her.  
  
She laughed quietly. "What was so important that we had to meet in secret, away from the castle?" she whispered.  
  
"Why did you come to me? Why didn't you go to someone else? You could have gone to anyone, Potter, Weasley, the Weaslette.but you came to me. Why?" Draco asked.  
  
"I.I don't know. I mean.it's just.look if you don't want to be friends." Hermione managed to choke out. She started to get up, but he grabbed onto her wrist, and she sat back down.  
  
"Look, I-I didn't mean it like that, Hermione," Draco said sincerely, "it's just. We used to be enemies and all of the sudden we're friends. How can you forgive me after all I said and did to you?"  
  
"I believe people can change," she replied, looking into his face, "my.father, he changed. But he changed for the worse. Ron.Ron changed in a different way.but you, Draco. You haven't changed at all, you are just a person I never bothered to get to know.until now. I don't care about the things you've said or done. I didn't know you then. And now I do. Does our past really matter?"  
  
To her surprise, he pulled her into a warm hug. When they parted, their faces were inches apart.  
  
He looked into her eyes. Silver met with honey, and they could see inside each other's souls. Hermione found she could hardly breathe. 'Remember to breathe,' she told herself, 'Remember to breathe.'  
  
Their lips almost met, and Hermione quickly turned away. "I'm.I'm sorry, Draco. It's just."  
  
Draco laughed softly. "It's okay.I guess I just got a little carried away..."  
  
"We should get back to the castle.it's getting late."  
  
She smiled at him apologetically. He smiled back and rose to help her to her feet. She began to walk toward the castle, and turned around when she noticed Draco was not following.  
  
"Are you coming?" she asked.  
  
"No, I think I'm gonna stay behind for a little while longer. I'll talk to you later," he smiled reassuringly.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked. Draco nodded. She smiled at him and walked back to the castle. He watched her leave. 'How can she do this to me?' he thought, 'she just rejected me, and I still want to be with her.'  
  
"What kind of spell do you have on her Malfoy?" a voice asked coldly, "I don't understand how she could even talk to you after all you've done to her."  
  
Draco spun around to meet Ron and Harry. 'It's not me who has the spell on her, its her who has the spell on me,' he thought. He quickly hid his smile with a smirk. He picked up a few rocks and skipped them across the lake.  
  
"So Potty and Weasel have followed their friend again?" he said smoothly, "Why am I not surprised? Weasleys are known for their unnatural obsession with Muggle-borns," he paused for effect and continued, "but I have news for you both. She will be mine."  
  
Draco looked toward them again, and could have sworn he saw laughter in the eyes of Harry. When he looked at Ron, he saw suppressed rage. He smirked again, and decided to push Ron a little further.  
  
"I should just direct this at you, Weasel. You seem to be the only one who doesn't know how to keep a friend, or at least get a girlfriend. But I understand completely. You lost Hermione's-and don't give me that look, you know we're friends now, so I might as well just give up the charade-you've lost Hermione's friendship because of your own confession of your dreams of our Potions Master, and hinted homosexuality, am I right?"  
  
"YOU BLOODY PRAT!! I SWEAR-"  
  
"Temper, temper, Weasel. Now I think she would have forgiven you, had you not put the blame on her. Maybe if you tried blaming yourself, she'd forgive you," Draco said smoothly.  
  
Ron lunged at Draco, and they began to fight. Ron swung his fist at Draco and he missed by a long shot. Draco used the opportunity to push Ron to the ground. He kicked him in the ribs and spat on him.  
  
"What do you know of Hermione, ferret boy? You know nothing of the situation," Ron spat out angrily.  
  
"Weasley, I was in your situation for 7 years. Now it seems the tables have turned," Draco smirked, "You are calling her the mudblood and I'm there to comfort her. But you can't deny that you are thoroughly jealous that Hermione was in my arms, and I had the honor of being that close to her, the honor you will never have."  
  
Ron was red in the face with anger, and it took every ounce of his energy not to get up and swing at him again, because he knew every word his enemy spoke was the truth. He lowered his head in defeat.  
  
"So the Weasel is speechless? I never thought I'd see the day," Draco smirked, "I should get going, Hermione is probably wondering what is taking me so long," he began to walk away, but turned back to the two muddled faces behind him, "and let's just hope Hermione doesn't have to find out about this."  
  
And with that, Draco turned on his heel and left the two boys standing there. Harry turned to Ron, laughing lightly. He patted his friend on the shoulder.  
  
"That bloody prat! He thinks he can take Hermione away from me! And he still gets the last words!" Ron said angrily.  
  
Harry laughed lightly. "Well, mate, looks like your little plan backfired."  
  
"I guess you're right, mate," Ron said, "and I can't believe Malfoy just gave me advice."  
  
"D'you suppose Mione's getting to him?"  
  
"S'pose so.I can't stand him.but I think I owe her an apology."  
  
"You owe her a huge apology, mate."  
  
Ron grimaced. "How can she stand Malfoy? That slimy git has tormented us for the past 7 years. She forgave him, and she can't forgive me?"  
  
"Did you not hear what she said to Malfoy? They share the same pain, Ron. She has sympathy for him, as he does her, and it's a lot easier to forgive an enemy who shares your pain than to forgive a friend who has hurt you."  
  
Ron looked confounded. Harry patted his friend on the back. "You truly are daft Ron," he laughed, as his friend playfully punched him. Harry picked up the cloak and threw it over himself and Ron, and they walked back to the castle in silence.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Hermione woke up yet again smiling; it felt good to sleep in. She felt better than she had since the incident this summer. She made a mental note to write her mother to check up on things. It was beyond her how so many good things could happen to her after a fight with one of her best friends in the world. She got out of bed and took a hot shower, thinking of the days many possibilities. No classes today, no Slytherins, no Ron, no Snape.and then it hit her.  
  
"Bloody hell." Hermione mumbled. "This is just peachy," she mumbled sarcastically. A detention with the Potions Master on a Saturday night...how fun. She turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of her shower room, and Draco was in the bathroom fixing his hair. He turned around and smirked at her. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"I guess this makes us even, then?" Hermione said as she pushed him aside.  
  
"Temper, temper, Granger," she heard him say as she closed to door to her dormitory.  
  
"So it's back to last names, is it?" she shouted from behind her door.  
  
Despite herself, she laughed. She quickly dressed into her school robes and began to work on her hair. She decided on half-up, half-down, and with a clip fastened it into place. She grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She found Draco sitting on the couch, smirking and obviously waiting for her. She decided to have some fun with this, and ignored him as she walked past. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his smirk fade and his face twist into utter confusion. She laughed inwardly, and the corners of her mouth twitched, threatening to smile. He noticed this immediately and grabbed her hand.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, Miss Granger?" he asked silkily.  
  
"Away from you, Mister Malfoy. Are you blind or did you just decide to not see my attempt to ignore you as I made to leave?" she answered.  
  
He got on his knees, her hand still in his, and the other clutching his chest in mock hurt. "Your words hurt me. I fear I have lost your heart forever!"  
  
Just as he said these words, the portrait hole opened revealing Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley. To both Hermione and Draco's amusement, they happened to walk in just as Draco kneeled down and clutched his heart. McGonagall looked flustered. Hermione and Draco looked at each other and laughed.  
  
"May I inquire as to what was taking place here?" Professor McGonagall asked, appalled by their behavior.  
  
Hermione looked at Draco, and they smirked at each other. "Well, if you must know, Professor.Draco and I have been secretly dating and had our first fight today. You just happened to walk in as he confessed his undying love for me," she tried to keep her laughter in.  
  
The expression on their Transfigurations Professor was priceless. Her face was contorted into a mix of horror and surprise. Harry and Ron had paled considerably, and Draco was pleasantly surprised by Hermione's outrageous yet believable lie.  
  
Hermione laughed and Draco rose from his kneeling position on the floor, laughing as well. This earned them three sighs of relief, and uneasy laughter from the other two Gryffindors.  
  
"Merlin, you'd think Voldemort had returned or something!" Hermione laughed.  
  
Everyone in the room looked at her in surprise-it was the first time she'd ever said his name out loud.  
  
"BLOODY HELL, CAN ANYONE TAKE A JOKE?!" Hermione shouted.  
  
Harry began to laugh, and turned to Hermione, "We just came to see why you two didn't come to breakfast this morning, we were worried that something happened. Our perfect student Miss Granger never fails to miss breakfast!"  
  
"Thanks for your concern, Potter. But Her-" he eyed his teacher warily, "Granger and I are fine, we just woke up a bit later than usual," Draco answered for Hermione.  
  
"Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger, I trust you will not miss lunch?" McGonagall asked them, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. It was more of a demand then a question.  
  
"No, ma'am," they replied simultaneously.  
  
"Good, then I will leave you four to yourselves," she replied, exiting the Heads' common room.  
  
There was an awkward silence, and then.  
  
"Mione, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for blaming you. I'm really the one to blame for everything. I didn't mean to be such a prat.I completely understand if you don't forgive me." Ron apologized.  
  
Hermione's eyes had lit up and she was smiling broadly. Both Ron and Harry did not believe Draco's suggestion would work.  
  
"Well, I was waiting for you to come to your senses." she teased.  
  
"But do you forgive me?" Ron asked, with a hopeful expression.  
  
"Of course Ron!" Hermione smiled and hugged her friend.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Can we just leave now? I'm glad you and the Weasel made up and all, but I have loads of admirers waiting for me in the Great Hall."  
  
Hermione playfully pushed him and he smiled, and he slid his hand around her waist. She looked at him and then shook her head. Harry and Ron noticed this and prepared themselves to explain. Draco smirked.  
  
"Er.it's okay, Mione.we kind of followed you down to the lake last night.we heard and saw everything.we're really sorry," Ron started.  
  
"WHAT?! You followed me?" Hermione shouted, "And how did you know about.I only told Harry." and then she rounded on Harry. "HARRY JAMES POTTER, HOW COULD YOU?!"  
  
Harry blushed and stared at the ground sheepishly.  
  
"So let me get this straight.Ron was probably hiding in the shadows when I went to confide in you everything that I meant to keep from Ron. And after I left to get ready, you and Ron got the invisibility cloak from your trunk upstairs, and went down to the lake to spy on me and Draco?"  
  
Both boys nodded, so Hermione continued.  
  
"And, by taking a closer look at both you and Draco," she glanced at Draco who lowered his head in shame, "you got into a row, about me, and Ron ended up starting a fight over the truth. Then all three of you decided not to tell me, and thought I wouldn't figure it out."  
  
All three had their head hung in shame, and simultaneously looked up at her with pleading eyes.  
  
Hermione sighed and then laughed lightly. "You three are impossible, not to mention daft."  
  
They grinned, and Hermione waved goodbye to Draco and linked arms with her best friends. Together they walked down to lunch.  
  
(A/N: *sigh* I really didn't like them making up, but I think it's a necessity.for future plot purposes.)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Hermione finished her lunch rapidly, eager to get to her studies. She gathered her things and rose, but Harry stopped her.  
  
"Mione, where are you going?" Harry asked.  
  
"To the library of course, where else would I be going?" Hermione replied, turning around to leave.  
  
"How do we know you're not going to meet Malfoy?" Ron asked quietly, but nonetheless, food came flying out of his mouth, and a large chunk of beef hit the lens of Harry's glasses. It began to slide down the round shape of them, much to the disgust of Harry, Hermione and everyone surrounding them at the Gryffindor table. There were many 'Ugh, Ron's and 'Positively disgusting' s. Harry wiped the chunk of beef off of his glass lens, much to his disgust.  
  
"Ugh, Ron. You are positively vile!" Hermione said, and many of the surrounding girls nodded their heads in agreement.  
  
Ron lowered his head in shame, and said "Sorry, Mione."  
  
Another chunk flew from his mouth, and landed in Lavender's cup, which she was rising to her lips and it landing in her pumpkin juice. As she rose it to her mouth, people around her were too horrified to say anything, and others were suppressing their laughter. Hermione watched on agape, as well as Harry and Ron, as Lavender drank the pumpkin juice and the chunk of beef. The Gryffindor table erupted into laughter, and she immediately spit it out, shrieking in disgust. The chunk was flying into the air, and managed to land in the hair of a passerby. The laughing Gryffindors turned to see whom it had hit, and the entire Great Hall silenced. Professor Snape turned around, his face rapidly turning a deep shade of red in his rage. It was silent, and before Snape could accuse anyone of it.  
  
"Merlin! The chunk covered in pumpkin juice mixed with the grease of his hair! It's formed a type of paste!" someone shouted.  
  
The Great Hall once again burst into laughter. The staff table was attempting to suppress their laughter.  
  
"Be quiet!" Snape yelled, and removed the beef in his hair with the tip of his wand.  
  
The younger years were cowering and seemed utterly frightened, and immediately quieted. The older years, however, were still in fits of giggles and whispers.  
  
"SILENCE!" he shouted again.  
  
This time everyone became quiet. He immediately turned to the Golden Trio.  
  
"Which one of you three did this?" he sneered.  
  
The three looked at each other. After few minutes of complete silence, he asked again.  
  
"You will answer when I speak to you!" he hissed. "Now, which of you three did this?"  
  
"None of us did it, Professor Snape," Hermione replied calmly.  
  
"You mean to tell me that none of you three did this?"  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"50 points from Gryffindor, and 2 weeks of detention for lying to your Professor, Miss Granger."  
  
Hermione's mouth dropped open in protest, and Professor McGonagall rose from her seat and briskly walked down to the area. "That is hardly fair, Severus. You have no proof that these 3 had anything to do with." she suppressed a small smile, "the incident. I believe, that Gryffindor should be granted 50 points, to make up for their unfair loss of points, and I ask you to withdraw her detentions. You have already taken away her Saturday night with a detention, and both you and I know that she did not have anything to do with this, as it was just a mere accident," she finished calmly.  
  
Hermione, Harry, and Ron looked at each other in surprise.  
  
Snape gritted his teeth, and threw a venomous glare Hermione's way. He then shifted the glare to McGonagall. "Indeed, Minerva. Miss Granger, detention tonight at 8." And with that, their Potions Master left the Great Hall, robes billowing behind him.  
  
The room again erupted into chatter about the scene, earning Hermione many sympathetic looks.  
  
"Ugh! That slimy git. I can't believe him!" Harry said angrily.  
  
Ron made sure to finish chewing his food. "I feel sorry for you Mione."  
  
"I know, I feel sorry for me too.... Ugh, he's terrible!" Hermione replied, just as enraged, and staring after where Snape just exited, "he just wasted a good 10 minutes of my studying time!"  
  
They rolled their eyes. "See you later, Mione."  
  
Hermione exited the Great Hall, walking briskly to the library. 'UGH that slimy git has done it again. As if he hasn't ruined my day enough by giving me a detention, he tried to give me more and blames me for Ron's mistake!' She giggled at the thought, and she soon reached the library. Her giggles were turning into small laughs. She sat down at her table in the back and tried to suppress her laughter. She failed miserably and began to laugh uncontrollably, earning her a glare from Madam Pince. She hushed up quickly.  
  
She looked around and noticed she was the only one in the library besides Madam Pince. 'No surprise there, it's not like I'm, expecting anyone to be in here on a Saturday, most just go to.' she began to daydream, and quickly caught herself. "Focus Hermione, Focus." she whispered quietly to herself.  
  
She pulled out some parchment and a quill, and immediately went to work on her Potions assignment. 'Ugh.I hate the git.' she caught herself thinking about the incident at lunch again. 'Truth potions are made mainly of mandrake roots.and that beef mixed with pumpkin juice and grease that formed a paste.' Hermione giggled, and then quickly realized that she had written it down. She scratched it out, surprised at herself. She managed to finish her assignment without any more problems. She was able to finish her Care of Magical Creatures assignment, as well as Transfigurations, and Arithmancy. 'Only Charms left.' she thought to herself. She hurriedly finished her Charms homework. She checked the clock, and was surprised to find it nearly 8 o'clock already. She packed up her homework and cursed quietly. More than likely, she was going to be late for detention.  
  
She ran out the door, ignoring the protests of Madam Pince. She raced down the hallway and quickly made her way to the dungeons. She raced around the corner and-SLAM-she crashed into someone, both landing on the floor. She heard the person being helped up, and she quickly began to pick up her things.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't see you-" Hermione started, taking the hand that was offered to her.  
  
She looked up to the face of Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Nothing to worry about, mudblood," Draco began.  
  
Hermione felt a pang at the once familiar nickname.  
  
"I didn't notice it was you at first glance, but now that I know it was you, I'll just have to wash my hands and robes thoroughly," he finished, a smirk on his face.  
  
Hermione could feel the tears forming behind her eyes, and before she could think about it, she slapped him across the face. She immediately walked away, and did not look back.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Draco pretended to smirk in front of Crabbe and Goyle, but when they turned around, he looked toward Hermione, hoping she would look back. She kept walking, and suddenly he felt incredibly guilty for treating her that way. He'd have to make it up to her later.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
Hermione did not even bother to knock on the door of the Potions room, but instead opened it angrily and sat down. Snape looked incredibly surprised that she had not knocked lightly, especially after the day's events. He quickly turned his surprise into a scowl, and looked up to sneer at her, but noticed she had tears sliding down her cheeks. He smirked.  
  
"Granger, the cauldrons need cleaning. I have set cleaning utensils on the table, so you are not allowed to clean them using magic, is that understood?," said Snape.  
  
Hermione looked up at her Potions Professor, her face now showing no signs that she had been crying and showing no weakness.  
  
"Yes, sir," she replied.  
  
She placed her wand on his desk and gathered the cleaning utensils he had placed on the desk. She immediately got to work, and began scrubbing the cauldrons clean.  
  
"I need to deliver these potions to Madam Pomfrey, I will return shortly," said Snape curtly.  
  
"Whatever," Hermione mumbled.  
  
"What was that, Miss Granger?"  
  
"Yes, sir," she lied.  
  
He walked out of the dungeons, leaving Hermione alone in the Potions classroom. She heard the door shut and knew that he had left.  
  
"Greasy prat." she mumbled quietly, and laughed a little when she found that her voice echoed throughout the dungeon.  
  
She looked at the clock, and it read 9:30. It seemed like she had been cleaning for ages. She finally finished her last cauldron. "Where is that slimy git?" she thought aloud. She covered her mouth, and remembered how it echoed. She hoped Snape had not heard her comment. The door opened, revealing a smirking Snape. 'Bloody hell.' she thought.  
  
"Miss Granger, you may leave," he said smoothly.  
  
Hermione sighed in relief, picking up her things. Her stomach was growling. She'd miss lunch, and decided she'd have to stop by the Gryffindor common room and ask Harry to help her sneak into the kitchens. She made her way out the door and began walking away from the Potions classroom.  
  
"I almost forgot.10 points from Gryffindor for the comment and detention next week, same time," Snape sneered.  
  
Hermione groaned. As she walked through the dungeons, she realized she'd have to see Draco. 'Could things get any worse?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
A/N: I promise that I will try to slow things down a bit between Draco and Hermione. I changed a lot of stuff in this chapter that I had in there before. There's a lot of pointless stuff in there, so feel free to criticize :) And why was Ron forgiven? For plot purposes. 


	6. Bad News and Draco

Hermione entered her common room after a trip with Harry and Ron to the kitchens. Without a second thought, she opened the door to her common room, only to find Pansy all over Draco. This did not help her mood. The two immediately parted, Draco pushing Pansy off him. Pansy looking incredibly flushed and Draco looking incredibly insulted.  
  
"Granger, can't you see we're busy?" she said.  
  
Hermione's blood was boiling, and she was a millisecond away from exploding. Hermione pulled out her wand, and pointed it at Pansy's chest. The Slytherin girl's eyes widened.  
  
"Get out, Pansy," Draco said quietly, his voice harsh.  
  
"What was that, Draco?" she said, slowly backing away from Hermione toward Draco. He pushed her, and before he could yell at her, Hermione did.  
  
"HE SAID GET OUT BEFORE I HEX YOU, YOU MORONIC COW!" she yelled, taking out her wand to prove her point.  
  
Pansy looked near tears, gathered her things quickly and ran out the door. Hermione smirked sinisterly at Pansy's frightened face. This deeply disturbed Draco-never once in all his years knowing her had she smirked at the pain and fear of someone else. He knew he was in for it. It was a little over their first week even being friends, and he had already screwed things up. He met her eyes, and she quickly averted them.  
  
"Look, Mione, I can explain-" Draco started.  
  
"MIONE?! YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL ME MIONE AFTER ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED TODAY?! YOU CALL ME A MUDBLOOD AGAIN AND THEN WHEN I'M RETURNING FROM DETENTION FROM THAT EVIL, SLIMY GIT I FIND YOU SNOGGING PANSY PARKINSON SENSELESS IN OUR COMMON ROOM! WE ARE HEAD BOY AND GIRL AND THIS COMMON ROOOM IS NOT FOR YOUR SNOGGING SESSIONS!" she shouted at him in an angry rage. He said nothing, his head lowered so she continued. "It's been just over a week since we've been friends, and you have already messed it up enough! You are just too complicated to be friends with. You're leading me on! I thought you might have actually liked me after our meeting at the lake. I guess I was wrong, I am so foolish to think that you even cared! Why I confided in you in any way is beyond me. But I don't think I will make the same mistake twice."  
  
Angry tears were pouring down her face. Draco was just listening intently, and he decided he'd at least try to apologize.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I want to be friends; I do care about you. I didn't mean-"  
  
"Please, just don't, Draco. You don't do things you don't mean."  
  
Hermione walked toward her dormitory, Draco following closely behind.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't think. It's just that-" Hermione slammed the door in his face. She locked it manually and magically, with charms he could not possibly know the counter to.  
  
Hermione collapsed onto her bed, taking out a piece of parchment and a quill.  
  
"Please, just listen to me!" Draco was now pounding on the door, begging Hermione to hear him out.  
  
She ignored him, and began to write.  
  
Dear Mom,  
  
Things are going great. It's my first week, and things are going smoothly. I've been made Head Girl, and classes are going well. The Head Boy and I are off to a great start, and I am really looking forward to working with him on plans for graduation and such. He is quite popular at Hogwarts and it is wonderful that we share the same friends and classes.  
  
"Hermione, I don't understand you! What have I done wrong? Isn't it necessary that we keep our friendship a secret?"  
  
Harry and Ron are doing well. We're still as close as ever and they have both grown into very handsome, mature boys. Hermione paused and read over her writing so far. She snorted. Most of it was a big lie. Draco was being terrible, and Ron was nowhere near acting mature. She then continued to write. All is well with me at Hogwarts, I only wish I was able to bring you along. I really hope that Dad has changed, and I hope that you are well. Please, let me know if anything happens.I'm afraid he will do something he will regret. I will write again soon. Much Love, Hermione  
  
Draco's pounding and yelling had stopped, and Hermione reviewed the letter she wrote. It was splotched with tears, but Hermione didn't bother cleaning them off. She wrapped up the parchment and sent it off with her owl. She lay on her bed in thought for a while, Crookshanks laying on Hermione's tummy loyally, before drifting off into a deep sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Waking from an uncomfortable sleep, short sleep, Hermione threw her alarm clock at the wall. Pansy and Draco filled her mind.and his pleas were ringing in her ears. She lazily got ready, and decided that today she would spend time with Harry and Ron. She hoped that Draco wouldn't bother to talk to her around her two best friends. She quickly scanned her image and opened the door. She saw Draco sitting on the couch. 'Bastard,' she thought, 'ignorant, daft.handsome, charming.NO I can't think that way.he's a slimy, narcissistic, prat.'  
  
He noticed her entering, and immediately stood up, walking toward her briskly.  
  
"I'm sorry. Please, just hear me out, give me five minutes, and I promise I will make it up to you," Draco began.  
  
"Please, just leave me alone," Hermione said quietly, averting her eyes.  
  
She left Draco alone in the common room, and headed toward the Gryffindor tower. She decided it was best not to tell her friends about last night's incident. She took a deep breath, and entered the Gryffindor portrait hole, trying to leave all of her worries behind.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
'Monday morning Potions.great' Hermione thought. She groaned and sat between Ron and Harry during Potions, and was trying to divert her thoughts from Draco and Pansy. Pansy was terrified of her-much to the delight of the Golden Trio. Hermione thought of how scared Pansy had become. She lightly elbowed her two best friends, and she threw a glare Pansy's way, to watch her quickly avert her eyes. They snickered, and Hermione turned her head to Snape. She wasn't listening to him, just pretending she was. Then her thoughts were on Draco. She glanced at Draco, and noticed he was staring at her. She quickly looked away.  
  
"Remember, this is a forceful truth potion, such as Veritaserum, and maybe even stronger. This is a fairly new truth potion so the effects that it will take upon each of you will be different. However, if you do not tell the truth, the color your eyes turn or the effect that takes place if you present a false statement will determine the lie. If the potion is brewed incorrectly," he looked pointedly at the Gryffindors, "then you will be given no credit for this assignment. I strongly advise you to tell the truth. I will ask you a question of my own before the class ends. Any questions?" He didn't even bother looking around the room. "Good."  
  
The students looked nervous, and Hermione found herself wondering if this was even safe for them to be testing. She shrugged it off and retrieved her potion. She held the potion to her lips, and just before she drank it, the dungeon door opened to reveal a flustered Professor McGonagall. The room was silent, and all eyes were on their teachers.  
  
"Professor, may I borrow Miss Granger for a moment?" she asked Snape.  
  
"We are in the middle of an experiment, Minerva. Can it wait until after class?" he snapped coldly.  
  
"No, Severus. The Headmaster needs to speak with her-it's an emergency," she replied quietly.  
  
Hermione dropped the vial of liquid.  
  
The frostiness of his voice seemed to melt, and he turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, gather your belongings and you may leave with Professor McGonagall."  
  
Hermione gathered her things slowly, and all eyes were on her. She kept her eyes on the ground and exited the classroom. Just as she closed the door, she heard the room burst with chatter and then Snape shout 'Get back to work!' She looked up to Professor McGonagall, expecting some type of reassurance that everything was fine, but received nothing. She and Professor McGonagall came to a stop, and Hermione realized they were at the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She turned to her Transfiguration Professor, and she mumbled the password, 'Chocolate Frogs.,' and turned to Hermione.  
  
"Miss Granger, I wish you well," McGonagall said, "now go on to the Headmaster."  
  
Hermione stepped onto the staircase and slowly made her way to his office. A million things were racing through her mind. She turned the knob slowly and entered the room quietly. Without being told, she sat down in the chair in front of Dumbledore.  
  
"Miss Granger, I sincerely wish that there was an easier way to inform you of this. But I think that the best way to tell you would to be terse. I am aware that I cannot make this situation any easier for you or less painful to hear," Dumbledore began. His eyes were not sparkling. His face held a sorrowful expression.  
  
Her face fell. 'No.no no no no no.' she thought to herself.  
  
"Your mother was found dead early this morning, Miss Granger. There is reason to believe she took her own life."  
  
She closed her eyes. 'No. I do not need this right now. I have nowhere to go, no one to turn to.'  
  
"Her funeral will be held this Friday. I will give you the rest of the day off from your classes, is you wish. My deepest sympathies, Miss Granger."  
  
She looked for something to say, but the words wouldn't come. She managed to whisper, "Thank you, Headmaster.  
  
She rose and exited the room and slowly walked toward the staircases to make her way to the Head dormitories. 'No, Hermione.you must be strong. Don't worry about it for now.it's the beginning of the week, and the third week in the school year. You cannot breakdown.,' she told herself. She swallowed hard to keep the tears from flowing, and the bell rang. The hall filled with people, and she stood against the wall and watched the loads of content people walking to their next classes in packs. She slid down the wall and swallowed again. 'How can they be so happy? My mother is dead. I lost my only family,' she thought. She watched them walk by. The bell rang and the halls became silent. She heard a voice, and strained to listen. She saw Draco's white-blonde hair coming around the corner. Draco was walking down the hallway, Pansy closely at his heels. He looked agitated.  
  
"Sod off, Pansy," he said harshly, "I need to get to Herbology."  
  
"But Draco-" she whined.  
  
"OUT OF MY FACE!" he yelled.  
  
A nearby classroom opened, and a teacher poked her head out of the door. It was obvious she did not like him much.  
  
"Mister Malfoy, may I ask why you are not in class, and have decided to disturb mine instead?" the short, chubby witch asked.  
  
"I-" he began.  
  
Hermione rose and refused to look at Draco to see his reaction. "Draco and I have been granted permission to patrol the corridors during this class period, and we found Miss Parkinson out of her classroom, and she refuses to return."  
  
The teacher beamed at Hermione, and then turned to Pansy with a scowl. "Miss Parkinson, return to class at once. I will let you off the hook this time, but next time you will be punished." The teacher returned to her classroom, and both Draco and Pansy turned to Hermione. Draco was smirking and Pansy was appalled.  
  
"I'm gonna get you for that, Granger!" she sneered.  
  
"Oh, shove it, you cow! Get to your class," Hermione snapped.  
  
Pansy shrieked and left them in peace. Hermione began to walk away and Draco grabbed her wrist. She turned to him, and they locked eyes. "Thanks," he said quietly.  
  
"Don't think this means I forgive you," she responded just as quietly, and left him there staring after her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~  
  
It was dinner. She was sitting at the table between Harry and Ron. Ron was stuffing his face with various foods, and Hermione was silently poking at her food.  
  
"So, Mione what did Dumbledore want to talk to you about?" Harry asked.  
  
She felt a pang, and swallowed. "Oh. Nothing, just some Head Girl business," she lied smoothly.  
  
Harry raised his eyebrow. "Was it really that urgent, that he had to take you out of class?"  
  
"Of course it was. If it wasn't he wouldn't have taken me out of class."  
  
Ron opened his mouth to comment, and immediately, the Gryffindors checked their pumpkin juice and food. "Ugh. Ron, please take the time to chew your food. Remember what happened last time?" she spat. Everyone except Hermione was laughing at the recollection.  
  
"Mione, you sound like my mum," he mumbled.  
  
The pumpkin juice Hermione had to her lips fell from her hands. Her housemates looked at her questioningly.  
  
"I-I have to go. I'll catch up with later," she said quietly.  
  
Her friends watched her retreat and turned to each other.  
  
"What do you think's up with Hermione?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I s'pose she's in a bad mood today."  
  
Ron shrugged and went back to his food.  
  
Hermione made her way to the common room. She whispered the password and entered the common room. Draco was on the couch waiting for her and immediately looked up. "Oh Merlin, just what I need," she whispered to herself.  
  
He watched her walk toward her bedroom door. "Hermione, I'm sorry. Please just listen to me," he said. She stopped and turned around.  
  
"I suppose I don't have a choice now do I?" she responded quietly. He barely smiled and she sat down on her couch.  
  
"You see, Pansy and I were sitting in the common room. She was being extra daft, and I kept telling her to sod off, but she wouldn't go away. I don't know how she found out the password, Hermione. But when I came in here to get my jumper, she was sitting on my couch, waiting for me. Anyway, I sat down beside her, and she tried to get all cozy with me. When I pushed her away, she just came right back, so I got up and tried to leave for dinner. She just pushed me against the wall and kissed me. I tried to push her off.but she really is a cow," he managed to get out all in one breathe.  
  
Hermione smiled sadly, and nodded her head. Draco continued.  
  
"So now that you've heard the explanation, do you forgive me?" he questioned.  
  
She nodded and rose to leave. He grabbed her wrist lightly.  
  
"You have a habit of doing that, you know," Hermione said quietly.  
  
"Doing what?" he asked, standing up.  
  
"You always try to stop me from leaving," Hermione replied.  
  
"What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked softly. She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. He pushed her chin up. "What happened? You're sad. I can see it in your eyes."  
  
He grabbed one of her hands in one of his, and raised the other one to wipe a tear that was making its way down her cheek.  
  
"Can I trust you, Draco?" she said quietly, "She killed her. But I know he has something to do with it. I wish it were him who died. I wish-" a sob was threatening to escape, and she held it back. Her voice wavered to a whisper, "I wish that I was never born. Maybe then she would have had a better life; maybe she would have found someone else. Maybe he wouldn't have been so angry, and she wouldn't have been so depressed, if I didn't exist. I wouldn't have had to go through so much pain."  
  
It was silent for what seemed like an eternity, and then Draco grabbed her hands, and met her eyes.  
  
"I don't want to hear you say anything like that again. Potter and Weasley care about you, McGonagall cares about you, and Dumbledore cares about you. You are a brilliant witch. Your mother's death is not your fault, Hermione. Don't blame it on yourself, you're too good for that," he said softly, "I care about you."  
  
" No. I'm untalented, and a burden. I don't know why I even try to be so perfect. Because I'm not, I'm not anything special. I'm just plain. I'm just me, and I don't want to be."  
  
"I think you're beautiful," he whispered into her ear.  
  
The sob escaped, and she collapsed into his arms, crying into his shoulder. They sat on her couch, and he comforted her.  
  
She fell into a light sleep and he gently lifted her, and placed her on her bed. He placed he under the covers of her red and gold bed, and rose to leave. She grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward her. He sat down beside her.  
  
"Please don't go. I don't want to be alone right now. Stay until I fall asleep," she whispered. He nodded in return. "Thank you."  
  
He stayed until she fell asleep, her hand still in his. He found that he didn't want to leave her side. He pushed a strand of hair from of her face, and he sat beside her to watch her sleep. He listened to her slow, quiet breathing, and resisted the urge to kiss her only because he wanted to let her sleep. He settled on lightly kissing her hand.  
  
"Sweets Dreams, my Hermione," he whispered. He rose and took one last look at her before closing the door quietly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I am really sorry for not posting for so long. I have been having a crazy week, loads of homework, and Halloween tomorrow (WOOHOO PARTY!) so feel free to yell at me. This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, it's just I have a lot to do. But I promise you all a very long chapter for #7. I'm going to have more detail and I promise it will be a lot more interesting than this chapter. Also, I just noticed something. When I write the dots it just puts one. That probably makes no sense, but those abrupt stops in the text are cause my computer is being weird.  
  
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!  
  
3 Kristen 


	7. The Funeral

A/N: Sorry for the long delay! This is a very short chapter, but the next one I promise will be long, but it will take just as long as this one did (possibly) because I need to catch up on some schoolwork, and I have lots of projects to complete. I apologize again! Some of this chapter is a little bit demented, but I've just figured out how to weave a lot of this demented stuff into the plot. :)  
  
Thank you for all the reviews!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Friday morning arrived all too soon for Hermione. So much was happening, and it was barely the first few weeks of school. She woke up early in the morning, and took her time to dress for the funeral. Her face was expressionless, and the Headmaster was to give her a portkey to her mother's funeral. She pulled her hair into elegant, loose bun. Harry was beginning to piece together that something major was going on with Hermione, and Ron was just as daft as ever, and suspected nothing peculiar. As she pulled on her black shoes, Draco walked into the room. She rose and put on her robes over her funeral clothes. They walked in silence to the portrait hole, and they pushed it open lightly. Draco grabbed her hand, and she looked at him quickly, then around the area.  
  
"No one will be prancing around near our living quarters during breakfast, Hermione," he whispered.  
  
She smiled slightly, and hand in hand, they walked toward the Great Hall. When they arrived at the door, he squeezed her hand lightly in comfort, and they went their separate ways. Hermione took a deep breath and entered the common room. She began walking toward her usual seat between Harry and Ron, and when she sat down both turned to her immediately. She sighed. 'Merlin, they ask me what's wrong on the day of my mother's funeral.'  
  
"Morning, Mione," Harry half-smiled at her. "Ron and I-"  
  
"-want to know why I've been so distant lately?" she finished.  
  
They nodded simultaneously, and she sighed again. "My mother died on Monday morning," she whispered, "They-" she swallowed hard, a sob was rising in her throat, "they think it was suicide."  
  
Harry and Ron's faces fell-and they each put a comforting arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Her funeral is today," she whispered.  
  
"I'm sorry Mione," they each managed to choke out.  
  
She nodded, and looked up into Harry's eyes. It was then that she realized just how much he could relate to her situation. He lost both his parents and Sirius. How could she not have told them any of this before? Ron, of course, she knew could not relate. But Harry would understand; Harry always understood her. Harry knew what it felt like to lose someone they loved. She smiled sadly at Harry, and he smiled back.  
  
"Will you go with me to her funeral?" she asked quietly.  
  
They nodded, and sat in silence.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione walked with her best friends slowly toward the cemetery. Her mother's casket was a pearly white, lined with gold, and covered in beautiful crimson roses. She knew her father had not paid for the beautiful coffin and flowers neither had her aunts or uncles. It was much too expensive. A few of her aunts and uncles stood around the casket, and looked toward her with grieving eyes. She could feel the lump rising to her throat, but held it back. Hermione looked at her friends, and they smiled sadly at her. She swallowed hard and walked slowly toward the group. She was immediately enveloped in hugs and words of sympathy and sorrow. The sky was filling rapidly with thick ebony clouds. Hermione did not listen to the man now speaking in front of her; she feared if she listened, she might breakdown. The rain began pouring down, and the raindrops hit her hard in the face. Hermione did not feel them hit her face; to her, it felt as if each of the icy drops was hitting her heart, and no one in the world could know the pain she was experiencing for the first in a long time. The crowd once surrounding the casket disappeared slowly, and Hermione picked up one of the roses carefully. Two hands touched her shoulders lightly, and she turned to her two best friends. A man began to lower her mother's beautiful casket into the ground, and Hermione immediately stopped him.  
  
"Excuse me, Sir," she whispered, "May I-- can I see her just one last time?"  
  
Harry and Ron each felt a pang of sorrow on Hermione's behalf. Harry knew exactly how she was feeling.  
  
The man's face was grave, and the look in his eyes gave away that he knew exactly how she was feeling. He nodded, and lightly picked up the roses and onto a nearby chair. Her two friends nodded at her and left her, waiting for her at the cemetery's entance. The man opened the casket gently.  
  
Hermione's expression changed from solemn and sad. Her now pale skin and her naturally beautiful face now held an expression of confounded and extreme anger. Her creamy brown hair was soaked across her shoulders. A single tear fell from Hermione's cheek and onto the rose in her hand. She looked at the rose, and her grip on it had tightened. The thorns pierced her skin. As blood trickled down her hand, she allowed the rose to fall to the ground lightly.  
  
The casket was empty. 


End file.
